Mike Macdonald's 'Defensive Wizardry' Could Make Seattle Seahawks Relevant

The Seattle Seahawks have one of the best defensive minds in the NFL in Mike Macdonald as their new head coach.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 8, 2024

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald signs autographs after training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks moved on from Pete Carroll after 14 seasons as the franchise's head coach this past offseason.

It was a bittersweet moment for the Seahawks organization, ending an era that brought the franchise's lone Super Bowl victory, but also allowed the team to start fresh with a young, hot commodity in former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

Macdonald's Ravens defense led the NFL, and his scheme could now help the Seahawks become a contender this season.

"Be careful not to breeze past the potential impact of first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, who orchestrated a confusing, effective, elite defense in Baltimore," Bleacher Report contributor David Kenyon wrote. "Buoyed by a fantastic secondary, the Seahawks should be far tougher to score against this season."

Macdonald takes over a defense that finished 25th overall last season, but there's plenty of reason to get excited with all of the young talent in the building.

"Among the headliners for Seattle is defensive lineman Byron Murphy II, whom the Seahawks selected 16th overall in this year's draft," Bleacher Report's Ryan Fowler writes. "Macdonald's experience working with Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike should assist Murphy as he gets his feet wet in the NFL. Seattle also brought back Leonard Williams to play off Murphy's hip within the trenches. Off the edge, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall look primed to evolve into consistent playmakers. With offenses focused on stopping Murphy and Williams on the interior, both players should see plenty of isolated opportunities to create pressures. In the secondary, 2023 No. 5 overall pick Devon Witherspoon and 2022 Pro Bowler Riq Woolen remain one of the top young duos in the game."

If the Seahawks are able to get all of these individual talents to bounce off one another and play well as a team, Seattle could have one of the most improved defenses in the NFL.

Published Aug 8, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.